BASEBALL: NOTEBOOK

BASEBALL: NOTEBOOK; If You Want to Go Far, Go With the Long Ball

By MURRAY CHASS

Published: August 27, 1995

The season was different from the first pitch. The strike forced a reduction in the schedule from 162 games to 144. Then, because the strike forced cancellation of the playoffs last year, this year's playoffs were granted uniqueness, featuring wild-card, or nonchampionship, teams for the first time.

The idea, then, would fit in with the unusual nature of the season. Instead of having three rounds of playoffs in competing cities all over the country, let the division champions and wild cards send their four top home run hitters and their four best pitchers to Colorado and settle this year's championship in one mammoth home run contest at Coors Field, Home of the Home Run.

Of course, the Rockies' rocket launchers would be favored, but the Rockies would have to qualify first by winning the National League West championship or finish with the best won-lost record among second-place teams. And if they did make it, their pitchers would have to pitch against the other teams' hitters.

Oh what a dandy show it would be. Balls soaring into the atmosphere, projectiles flying first over this fence, then over that one, incoming missiles threatening the safety of citizens within the park or anywhere near it.

As fanciful as this scenario is, it is one way of recognizing the squads of home run hitters that have powered teams into championship or contending status. Consider these statistics, with home run totals through Friday's games:

The Rockies have the most awesome squad. Entering yesterday's games, their quartet was first, second, third and tied for fifth among National League leaders. They were a total of five home runs (Walker 2, Galarraga 3) away from becoming the first team since the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers to have four players with 30 or more.

Don Baylor, the Rockies' manager, seems most impressed with Castilla, the third baseman, who never had hit more than 14 home runs in a season in his five-year professional career.

"It's pretty impressive to see Castilla, a third baseman, especially a right-handed hitter, with that kind of power," Baylor said of the player acquired in the expansion draft from Atlanta. "When we got him, Bobby Cox said he'll hit for you. I didn't think he meant home runs."

Of his four power hitters, Baylor added, Castilla "probably has more of an uppercut swing."

"He's the guy who probably can get the ball in the air more consistently than the other guys. Bichette can go out in either field, Galarraga and Walker the same. Vinny is better when he's hitting the ball to right-center because of his home run swing. He wants to pull, but when he thinks about hitting the ball the other way, he's hit the ball over the right-center field fence."

If Baylor has one complaint about his home run squad, it's that they change their hitting styles when the Rockies play on other fields. To be sure, the Rockies have distinctly split hitting personalities depending on the site of their games.

As a team, the Rockies are hitting .315 at home, .247 on the road. They have hit 112 home runs and scored 387 runs in 57 games at home but have hit only 50 home runs and scored 218 runs in 54 games on the road. The popular belief is that the Rockies benefit from Coors Field and the mile-high altitude. But Baylor blames the drastic difference on the players' approach to hitting.

"On the road, they don't try to hit the ball the other way," he said. "When we get back to Coors Field, they say now I'm going to hit the ball where it's pitched and go the other way. On the road, we get home-run-pull happy. Instead of taking a soft single to right, they try to pull. That's something that on the next road trip I'm going to try to convince the guys to do. It's not just home cooking. It's their mental philosophy and approach."

Baylor pointed to a telling statistic. "Our strikeouts go up on the road," he said. "You'd think you'd be swinging for the fences at Coors Field and strikeouts would be higher. But they're higher on the road."

The Rockies have struck out 401 times on the road, 344 times at home.

Home does have its advantages. "There's really no safe lead in this park when you have these four guys in a row," their manager said. Dangerous When Healthy

Juan Gonzalez of Texas and Jose Canseco of Boston have missed much playing time with injuries, but when they play, they are dangerous. Gonzalez has averaged one home run for every 11.7 at-bats, Canseco one every 14.1. Mark McGwire of Oakland is another slugger who has been undermined by injuries. He's on the disabled list now with a home run ratio of one every 8.8 at-bats.

Henry Aaron hit one home run every 16.4 at-bats, Babe Ruth one every 11.8. More Than Memory Slipping